3/05/2010 @ 12:20PM

The World's Top Sports Events

With the Winter Games in Vancouver just concluded, it might seem that the Olympic brand is bigger than that of any other sporting event worldwide. Think again.

In the multibillion-dollar sports industry, athletes, businesses, teams and events jostle for name recognition in hopes of capturing a bigger share of the entertainment dollar. Our ranking reveals that America’s Super Bowl is the most valuable name in the events niche, generating more revenue than a typical day of the Winter and Summer Games combined.

To determine the most valuable sporting event brands–the equity built up in a name over many years–we ranked them on gross revenue generated per day of competition.

1 Super Bowl

Brand Value: $420 million

Last month’s game attracted a record U.S. TV audience of 106.5 million, marking the fifth consecutive year that Super Bowl viewership has increased.

2 Olympic Games (Summer)

Brand Value: $230 million

With total revenues of $3.9 billion, the Beijing Games fell just shy of becoming the first sporting event to gross $4 billion.

3 FIFA World Cup

Brand Value: $120 million

Organizers of this year’s World Cup in South Africa project media and sponsorship revenue will top the 2006 tournament by as much as $600 million.

4 UEFA European Football Championship

Brand Value: $110 million

The Euro tournament is the biggest driver of corporate hospitality spending in sports, totaling $200 million in 2008, the last time the competition was held.

5 Major League Baseball World Series

Brand Value: $106 million

A series of at least five games ensures the Fall Classic as the highest-grossing annual championship event worldwide (last year’s New York Yankees–Philadelphia Phillies tilt went six).

6 Daytona 500

Brand Value: $100 million

Despite slashing ticket prices for 4,000 seats by 73% last year, the Great American Race still generates close to $30 million in gate and infield parking receipts from stock car fans.

7 Olympic Games (Winter)

Brand Value: $93 million

Once the final numbers are tallied, last month’s Vancouver Games will have generated 60% more revenue than the previous Winter Olympics held in Torino, Italy, which approached $1.6 billion.

8 NCAA Men’s Final Four

Brand Value: $90 million

U.S. college basketball’s signature event generates almost twice the revenue per day of competition than American-university sports’ other marquee brand: football’s Bowl Championship Series.

9 Major League Baseball All-Star Week

Brand Value: $75 million

MLB has transformed the Midsummer Classic into a weeklong affair that in recent years has featured a parade of Hall of Famers and appearances by all five living U.S. presidents.

10 Kentucky Derby

Brand Value: $67 million

The Derby drew $103 million in wagers last year, with
Churchill Downs
pocketing 3% of bets placed at the track and 7% of those placed elsewhere.

To see our full list, including brand valuations of athletes, sports businesses and teams, go to: forbes.com/sportsbrands/